Describe the use before asking about permission
A shipping container can be a place to keep tools, a temporary moving unit, a workshop project or the starting shell of a home. Those are different proposals. Begin an Indiana permit inquiry with the parcel address and a plain description of what will happen inside, how long it will stay and whether anyone will work or sleep there. Include the exterior dimensions and a sketch of the position on the lot.
The most useful answer identifies the application and rule that apply to your actual plan. A general answer about a shed, a trailer or a construction site can miss the feature that changes your project. Write down your intended duration instead of calling everything temporary. A box remaining for several years should be described that way from the first conversation.
Indianapolis: location and structure have separate review routes
The Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services permit guide describes an Improvement Location Permit for new structures and site improvements, subject to the exemptions in Section 740-801.A. It separately describes structural permits and Section 536-201 exemptions. The guide directs classification questions to [email protected]. See pages 59 and 76.
For a proposed container in Marion County, send one complete description and ask which of those routes applies. Include any planned pad, wiring or alterations. Ask the reviewer to identify the parcel zoning and any relevant overlay before you buy. Keep the written response with your site drawing so the proposed position does not drift as the project develops.
An Indianapolis mailing address alone is not a substitute for identifying the reviewing authority. Use the parcel information, then explain the intended use. Our Indianapolis delivery page covers the separate task of getting the container to that address.
Fort Wayne: duration is an explicit part of the rule
Fort Wayne Section 157.403(A)(2) allows residential temporary storage containers up to 90 days without a Certificate of Use, or up to 120 days with one. Section 157.402 restricts accessory outdoor portable storage lasting over 120 days to C3, C4, I1, I2 and I3 districts, with outdoor storage standards. Section 157.506 excludes shipping containers from its shed definition. These are distinct categories in the official Fort Wayne zoning ordinance.
That makes the removal date an important part of a Fort Wayne storage plan. Ask how your proposed dates will be documented and whether any other review applies. A future intention to move the box is less useful than a clear proposed end date. Do not extend a short placement by assumption.
The Department of Planning Services application page provides the application routes and zoning verification options. Bring a drawing that shows the container, existing building, property boundaries and access. Our Fort Wayne page explains delivery planning for ZIP 46802.
Evansville: an Improvement Location Permit does not finish every approval
The Evansville-Vanderburgh Area Plan Commission Site Review application states that issuance of an Improvement Location Permit does not remove the need for other applicable permits. The application lists both Area Plan Commission and Building Commission contacts. Use those two routes to confirm classification and construction requirements for the specific project.
Prepare a legible plan rather than relying on a photograph of an empty yard. Mark the intended doors, nearby structures and the access point. If your project changes from simple storage to a business workspace, send the revised description back before changing the fit-out. Keep the application description and the work actually ordered aligned.
The Evansville delivery page lists delivery pricing for ZIP 47708. Your permit inquiry should use the actual parcel where the container will be placed, even if the delivery estimate began with a nearby city ZIP.
A riverfront or creekside site needs its own check
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources describes prior approval for certain construction, fill, excavation or obstructions in regulated floodways under the Flood Control Act, with exemptions and general licenses that need to be checked. Its permit application guidance explains the scope and directs applicants to the relevant exemptions. A dry-looking site on the day you visit is not a floodway determination.
Ask the local reviewer whether a floodplain administrator should look at the proposal, and share the exact location of the pad and access improvements. This is particularly useful for a property near the White, Maumee, Wabash or southern boundary river systems. Do not use a citywide flood description as the answer for an individual lot.
Build a useful permit inquiry packet
- The parcel address and owner contact, plus the jurisdiction you believe reviews it.
- A description of storage contents and whether the space will be occupied, heated, wired or plumbed.
- Container size, condition, proposed duration and the date you expect to remove a temporary unit.
- A drawing with property lines, existing buildings, the container position and door direction.
- Photographs showing the full truck approach, gate, overhead obstacles and placement surface.
- A request for the applicable ordinance section, required application and written next steps.
Ask which information is missing before commissioning drawings or ground work. A complete first inquiry helps the official respond to the proposal you mean to build. Save the resulting correspondence and attach revised sketches whenever the location or use changes.
Order around the approved plan
The container footprint and the truck working area are different planning tasks. A box can fit behind a building while the delivery vehicle cannot reach that position. Have the approach reviewed early enough that the site drawing can reflect a workable delivery location. Explain any turn, slope or soft section instead of assuming the driver will solve it on arrival.
Once the property review and access plan agree, request the final quote for the intended size and destination. As of September 30, 2026, pricing starts at $2,152 for a 20ft Wind and Water Tight container delivered in Indianapolis. That figure describes the container and delivery, not permit work or a finished building. Ask about rent-to-own if spreading the container cost suits your project.
For projects that go beyond storage, read our Indiana container home planning guide and Indiana insulation guide. Use the current official requirements when submitting your project.
Plan your Indiana container delivery
Send your delivery ZIP, container size and photographs of the approach. We can discuss the container and placement plan while you confirm the property requirements.